


Blood  Of   My   Blood

by MadameBelladonna



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-05-22 20:59:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadameBelladonna/pseuds/MadameBelladonna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A newly promoted medic for The Resistance, Dacia Brok, is met with difficult choices as she encounters Poe Dameron, who joins her for a mission that will alter the course of her life.  Friends will be lost and sacrifices will be made.  With the First Order closing in,  no one is safe and no one can be trusted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My First Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "My eyes watched the fiery tendrils cast eerie shadows on the faces of those surrounding it. I saw a clamoring across the way to see a few doe-eyed girls flocking around Poe Dameron, who was dressed casually in a brown flight jacket, black shirt, and pants. He had an orange flower crown that matched his usual flight suit on his head. It looked silly there on top of the black mass of curls that was his hair..."

### Chapter One: My First Life

The breeze on D'Qar was brisk and cool as it blew through the thinned woods and created a whimsical trail of leaves on the wind. It was growing cooler every day. The trees had lost their deep green lustre and were turning a deep shade of red and orange.

I sat on the hill overlooking the Resistance base on a small knitted blanket, medical books spilling out of my cloth satchel. Most of the texts had seen better days and a few were falling apart, but they were the only resources I had to study from without interrogating another medic.

The last attack on our base left us severely lacking in medical staff, so I was more or less coerced into stepping up as a medic.

There has always been a need for medics ever since the Resistance began fighting against the First Order. Casualties and injuries were coming in record numbers and the medical staff were stretched; desperate for new recruits.

My father, Doctor Ande Brook, is the head Medical Chief for the Resistance and had been loyal to the cause since it was just the Rebellion. He had traveled around for years, helping out where he was needed.

As his only child, I followed where he went, learning what I could and ingratiating myself into the Resistance, where everyone tried to lead normal lives. Even though there was a war going on, we all kept on living like it was normal to have an overwhelming evil constantly trying to destroy all we held dear.

My father and mother were one of the people who tried to live like it was no big issue to have all this going on around us. I think it's because it has been going on for so long, they didn't know what peace was.

My mother died when I was very young. I didn't even remember a single detail about her, but my father says I look just like her. We have the same petite frame that made me the shortest person in nearly every group. The same long wavy chestnut hair that always turned lighter the longer I stayed outside and the same milky gray eyes.

"She died fighting for what she believed in, Dacia," I remember him telling me while it was just the two of us spending holidays together. I never hated her for dying in an attempt to help the Resistance, but I always held a small grudge against them because of it.

Why was she the one who had to go? Why couldn't someone else have gone on that mission?

I shook my head and gripped the book I had been holding. It was an older one of my father's that had been lovingly worn in from years of use and reference.

_ Generalized Medicine -- Edition XII _

I flipped open to a dog eared page and read:

_ To stop bleeding from an open wound or cut, start with using a cord or whatever string like material that can be found, and use as a tourniquet. Apply pressure using sterile gauze and raise the wound--if possible-- above the patient's heart to slow blood flow to the wound. _

_`_ The recognizable boom of an X-wing coming into the atmosphere pulled my attention away from the book. I looked up and saw a familiar X-wing piloted by the Resistance's best pilot, Poe Dameron, glide gently into a smooth landing.

I smiled as I saw him climb out of the cockpit.  He pulled off his helmet and ran his hands through his tousled black locks. Poe’s gait was quick, and carried an air of arrogance, but I don’t think it was intentional.  He was followed by his closest companion, BB-8, a small round orange and white droid that happily sped along behind him.

Another gust of wind blew through me and I pulled my jacket’s collar tighter around my neck.  I glanced down at my watch and saw the time.  It was getting late and father would be looking for me soon.  

I shoved the books back in my bag and folded up the blanket, draping it over my arm as I walked down the path that had led me to the top of the hill.  The tranquil sounds of the woods were replaced with the clamor of mechanics working on X-wings and people chattering.  

Everyone was busy doing something like a harmonious hive of bees, so I glided by unnoticed.  That's usually how it went since I had few, if any, friends.  I had always been a loner since I was an only child and my father was working constantly, so I sought companionship with my pets and myself.  Just as I was walking into the main hall, when someone called my name.

“Dacia!”

I recognized the voice and I rolled my eyes before turning around to see a lanky fair-haired man running towards me, waving his arms.  

Everyone was now staring at us as he came to a stop in front of me.  

“Hello, Max.  Do you have to yell and draw attention?” I said flatly, watching everyone go back to their tasks.

He rubbed the back of his arm, turning pink in the cheeks.  “I’m sorry…”  

I genuinely felt bad after I saw the embarrassment paint itself on his cheeks.  He had been a sort of friend of mine for many years, but I just found him very annoying with how he acted and spoke sometimes.

I sighed, touching his arm, “No, I’m sorry.  What is it you needed to tell me?”

Max’s frown turned into a  small smile and he relaxed, “I heard you are training to be a medic now? Like your dad?”

Nodding, I motioned for him to follow along as I started down the corridor.  

He tugged at his beige mechanic's jumpsuit and said, “That’s really exciting for you.”

I nodded again as I turned down a hall, heading towards to the living quarters my father and I shared.

“I was seeing if you were interested in going to the village down the path. There's a big local festival going on and we could go to celebrate your promotion,” Max explained, leaning up against the wall as I stopped at the door that led to my abode.

I should go out.  I never go out.  For a young woman of 25, I certainly didn’t act my age.  “You know what? I’ll ask my father and if he’s ok with it, I will,” I responded.  Max could hardly contain his excitement.  

“T-that’s great! I’ll be in the meeting hall with the guys.  Come find me if you can go,” he said excitedly.  

I smiled and waved as I opened the door and slipped inside.  

The smell of fresh flowers and sandalwood overwhelmed my senses as I took in the living space.  There were two curtained bedroom areas for myself and father on opposite sides of the studio-style room.  Since there was a large community washroom and a mess hall on the base that everyone shared, the rest of the area was a living room styled area.  Two mismatched chairs sat across from each other with a table between them; papers scattered littered the table.  

Bookshelves lined the rest of the walls and candles illuminated most of the room.  Father didn’t much care for the artificial light that we could have easily had since we were in a windowless room.

“Dacia? Is that you?” Father called from his bed.  I sat my bag down in my designated chair and sauntered over to his little bedroom area.  

“Yes, father,” I answered, kicking off my boots and shrugging off my jacket.  

I pulled back the curtain to see him sitting up in bed reading a new novel.  He wore his silver rimmed glasses down on his nose and he had his gray hair tucked behind his ears.  Father was never much for shaving, so he had his normal amount of black and white scruff on his face and he put on a small smile when he saw me.

“How are you liking those books I lent you?” He inquired, dog earring his book page before setting the book in his blanketed lap.

I sat on the edge of his bed and patted down my hazelnut hair down on my shoulder.  “They are good; very useful.”

“Nervous about your recent promotion?”

“Oh… no.  I am as ready as I will ever be.  I just have to study more books and learn as much as I can before I start next week,” I said softly.  As my mind began to wander, I remembered Max’s offer.  “Oh, Max wants to go down to the village to celebrate my promotion.  Are you alright on your own tonight?”

He beamed.  He had always liked Max and was always hoping there would be more to it than a friendship, but I wasn’t having it.  “That’s fine with me.  I’m not that frail, you know.  I can handle myself for one evening.”

Seeing him happy made me happy, so I pecked his cheek and went over to my curtained area and changed into more casual clothes.  

I decided on wearing a long-sleeved kimono style silk dress with a purple and red flower pattern on it and leggings with black flats.  I kissed him goodnight and hurried along down the now illuminated paths into the night to reach the meeting hall.

Max and a few of his friends were there like he said.  He saw me and starting smiling like an idiot.  He looked nice enough with a v-cut brown shirt and black pants and boots.  His shaggy blonde hair was slightly more behaved.  

_ I hope he didn’t do his hair on my account,  _ I thought as I walked over to him.  He told his friends he would catch up before he turned to me.  “You look really nice.”

“Thank you,” I said quickly.  

“There’s going to be quite a few people from here at the village. There’s a local celebration going on,” Max explained as we started down the dark path from the base towards the village.  

There was a warm glow on the horizon and the faint smell of burning fragrant firewood in the air as we got closer.  They must have a giant bonfire going to celebrate.

“I heard the pilot Poe Dameron might be there too,” Max said off-handed, but I took it much more seriously than he hoped.

“Oh? You really think so?” I asked.  Poe was a hero and basically a celebrity around this base and even though we lived on the same base, it could have been like we were on two different planets seeing as he was in the fray far more frequently than medics-in-training were.

Max nodded with a crestfallen expression, but he kept striding along.  

The path ended and we were greeted by local village girls who placed vibrant and exotic flowers crowns on our heads.  I adjusted mine until it sat neatly on my curls and we continued on to see Max’s friends and several others from the base.  

Drinks and refreshments were located in different places in the village and several locals were distributing them throughout the celebration.  

Music sung in foreign tongues filled the air.  Villagers danced around the large bonfire that crackled and snapped in the center of a large burn pit.  

A jewelry stand caught my eye and I broke away from Max, promising to meet back up with him.  The stand owner, a kindly dark-skinned woman, showed me her most beautiful pieces, but I settled with a simple tear drop-shaped opal pendant.  

The metallic chain was cool on my neck and I adjusted the pendant before walking back towards the crowd.

I accepted a glass of a strong local wine from a waiter and I settled on a stump by a hut, watching the dancing around the billowing flames.  

My eyes watched the fiery tendrils cast eerie shadows on the faces of those surrounding it.  I saw a clamoring across the way to see a few doe-eyed girls flocking around Poe Dameron, who was dressed casually in a brown flight jacket, black shirt, and pants.  He had an orange flower crown that matched his usual flight suit on his head.  It looked silly there on top of the black mass of curls that was his hair, but most of the men here were wearing it too so it didn’t seem so outlandish.

He seemed overwhelmed as they pawed at his arm and tried to all talk to him at once.  Waving them away, he smiled and walked to a more secluded area still far enough away from me where I could watch him without being obvious.

Sipping on my drink, I watched as he watched the dancers start pulling people who were standing nearby into dancing into pairs.  Before I could even react, a young woman grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. My drink tumbled from my hands as the alcohol in the wine hit me the moment my feet leveled onto the ground.

The girl tugged me along, grabbing someone else before shoving us together. My eyes and feet scrambled to keep focused as the person I was paired with starting dancing with me in a circle.  I looked up and saw who was pulling me along and keeping me stable.

Poe Dameron.

My feet tripped under me as I struggled to stand up and he put his hands on my waist to keep me from toppling over.  “You alright, there?” He laughed.  

I laughed too as we continued dancing in circles around the fire with the other pairs.  “Just keep me from falling over and I will be fine!” 

The villagers formed a circle around the bonfire, encircling the pairs of dancers and they began clapping to the beat that echoed through the village.

Poe took my hands and led us in a spinning circle that kept us moving in a fluid pattern as the constantly thumping from the drums drove us on.  

His hands were warm, rough, and much larger than mine.  I noticed the wrinkles around his warm brown eyes and the corners of his mouth.  All were signs of a happy soul who laughed a lot.

Before I knew what was going on, the music had stopped and everyone was clapping.  The crowd dispersed, leaving just the two of us by the flames.  

Poe released his hold on me and then he smiled.

I felt silly just standing there, so I crossed my arms and said, “Thanks for not letting me fall on my ass in front of everyone.  The wine here is  _ really  _ strong.”

He cocked an eyebrow and chided, “A girl shouldn’t be drinking strong wine without a strong guy to keep her safe at this time of night.”

I waved my hand dismissively at him and started looking around.  “I didn’t come here alone, but I may have misplaced my friend.”

“Misplaced him?”

I rolled my eyes and muttered, “More like I ditched him, but it’s just semantics at this point.  We’re only here because we're celebrating  _ my _ promotion.”

Poe looked intrigued as he crossed his arms.  “Promotion, eh?”

“Yes, I’m a medic now!” I exclaimed.  I realised how loudly I had yelled it and I slapped my hands over my mouth before bursting into giggles.

The crowd had disbanded into the night now that the bulk of the celebration was over and I felt the alcohol loosen its’ grip on my senses.

Max was still nowhere to be found, so Poe offered to take me back to the base.  I took him up on his offer and we walked down the worn path and chatted idly.

“So, I haven’t caught your name yet,” he laughed, running his hands through his dark curls.  

“Oh!  That’s embarrassing.  I know yours, but you don’t know mine,” I quipped.  “It’s Dacia Brok.”

“Daughter of Doctor Brok?” He asked quickly.

I glanced sideways at him, slightly confused.  “Yes, he is my father.  You know him?”

Poe pulled back his sleeve to reveal a long scar that had been healed only for a few months.  “I took a pretty bad hit from some shrapnel to the arm when my x-wing had a malfunction and motor exploded in the cockpit.  I was worried I was going to lose my arm, but he fixed it up and it’s just as good as it was.”

I beamed.  I loved hearing about how my father helped people.  That was his passion and it was becoming mine.  “He is a great man,” I nodded.

The night became very still and quiet as we came out onto the clearing before the base.  Starlight flickered above us and we continued on.  

BOOM

An X-wing broke through the atmosphere and Poe’s expression changed from contented to worried.  “There shouldn’t be an X-wing coming back tonight…” Poe whispered.

We stood there, staring up at the sky, waiting to see the X-wing burst through a thick patch of clouds.  

I saw it first.  

The black night sky became illuminated with a fiery red glow as the X-wing tore through a thick cloud, the bulk of the ship on fire.

“No!” POe yelled as he starting running in the direction that the X-wing was going to crash-land, which was luckily towards the forest.

I sprinted behind Poe, my eyes locked on the X-wing as it came closer to the ground.  My ears started ringing as my blood pressure spiked and my heart began racing.

With my eyes to the sky, I didn’t see the fallen log in front of me until I was falling over it, skidding onto my hands and knees.  My eyes shot up to see Poe several yards in front of me.  He came to a stop and we both watched the X-wing make contact with the forest, bursting into hellish flames that rose up to the sky.

I struggled to get on my feet.  As I straightened up, my eyes spotted an escape pod attached to a parachute from the X-wing drifting from the sky.

“POE!” I cried, sprinting in the direction of the pod.  

He followed suit and I felt my heart beat against my ribs.   _ Please, let me be able to help them if they’re alive. _

The pod fell gently to the ground and we raced over to it.

Poe desperately pulled at the release latches on the sides of the pod.  Once it was opened, a plume of smoke billowed out.  

The pilot was a young man ; his limp form slumped over in the seat.  Soot covered his whole body and he had a gash across. his forehead. 

Poe tore at the straps that tethered him in.  Unable to pull them off of the young man with his hands, he pulled a knife out of his boot and sliced them with ease. Once was free of the straps, Poe dragged him out of the pod, laying him out on the grass.

My focus sharpened when I heard Poe cry out, “He isn’t breathing!”

I fell to my knees at his side and tore open the pilot’s suit, pressing my ear to his still warm chest.  It was silent.  

“No no no no…” I mumbled, my hands moving sporadically as I tried to collect my thoughts to begin chest compressions.  

Poe took my shaking hands and I locked eyes with him.  “Dacia, you can help him right?”

My thoughts cleared as I looked at his face and I nodded before I leaned over the boy’s body and opened his mouth, giving him the oxygen from my lungs.  I leaned up, forcing my hands on his chest and pressed hard three times before breathing into his mouth again.

After a moment, his soot-covered face turned back to a light pink shade and he rolled over, coughing and choking on the newly found air in his lungs. Poe gripped the boy and his eyes found mine again.

“You saved him,” he whispered breathlessly.

The adrenaline was tipping off and I felt the air around me turning colder and I replied, “I did.”  I sounded just as astonished  as Poe.

I had just saved my first life.


	2. After Sundown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I cocked my eyebrow. “Well, for starters, I’m not a kid; I’m twenty-five. Secondly, I wasn’t looking for a job. I was contented with my lot in life currently. I just got a promotion, remember?”  
> Poe focused his chocolate-shaded eyes on mine. “I just helped you get another promotion. I mean, you get to travel the expanse of the universe as my medic sidekick. Isn’t that even a little exciting?”

### Chapter Two: After Sundown

The ringing in my ears was becoming less deafening as my heartbeat slowed to a normal rate.  Poe and I crossed the threshold into the medical wing of the base, carrying the boy’s arms over each of our shoulders.  

I looked up to my left at the boy and asked, “What’s your name?”

“Derek Blaise,” he whispered breathlessly.  

It wasn’t a name that rang a bell, but I didn’t get to ponder on it much.  We passed through the emergency room doors and was greeted by a tired-looking nurse. She plucked Derek from our arms and quickly disappeared behind a blue curtain.

“I will come check on him tomorrow,” Poe reassured me as we turned and left the ward.   “He is a lucky bastard.  Not many pilots have survived a crash like that.”

I shuddered at the thought of dying in a fiery X-wing crash.   My imagination was quick to produce a traumatizing image in my mind and I suppressed it quickly with more positive thoughts.

Once we were back outside under the dim moonlight, I took a deep breath in, filling my lungs with the frigid air. “I’ve never had to do that before,” I murmured.  My mind was still reeling from what had just happened.  I placed my hand over my chest as a creeping feeling of dizziness came over me.

“Are you feeling OK, Dacia?”  Poe asked as he placed a concerned hand on my upper arm.  

I was feeling the aftermath of a very eventful evening coming on and I could almost hear my bed calling me.  “I should get some sleep…”  

“Oh, yeah. Of course!   I’ll take you there.  Where do you stay?”

After explaining that my father and I resided in the small lodgings on the far side of the base, we began our trek there, making small talk as we journeyed.

We talked about how Poe had dreams of being a General of the Resistance, just like General Leia Organa.  It was obvious in the way he spoke about her that he admired and looked up to her greatly.

We all did.  She was like a den mother and we were all her wards.  The young, old, strong, and weak came to her to escape the tyranny of the First Order and she led them with the poise and grace of the Princess she used to be but with the finesse and strong leadership of the General she had become.

“I will be telling her about you tomorrow.  You handled that pretty damn well considering the circumstances,” Poe mused as we neared the end of our journey. “That kind of stress level is what needs to be tolerated in the field.  We always need medics when we go on missions anyways.  Plus, you’ve got the makings of a good one.”

My head was swimming.  Was he trying to get me to go on missions with him?  Missions that involved going out and fighting against the First Order?

I leaned up against the door frame and replied, “I don’t think I’m trained enough to be doing stuff like that...”

“But aren’t all the best trades learned by experiencing them  _ first hand _ ?” He quipped, shaking his hands around in a jazzy way. 

I grinned at him and crossed my arms. “I suppose so.  Well, I need to get to sleep, it’s been a very long night.”

He nodded in agreeance before turning away  “Goodnight. I hope I’ll see you around.”

“You too,” I replied, unlocking the door with the 4 digit code on the metallic keypad.  Lingering in the doorframe, I watched him go until he turned a corner and was gone from my sight.

Shutting the door, I felt a wave of exhaustion wash over me as I shuffled through the darkened room.  I peeked in on my father and saw he was fast asleep, a book open across his chest like usual.

Once behind the curtain that designated my room, I tugged off my shoes and clothes, and slipped into a thin nightgown.  I slithered into my cool sheets and pulled them up to my chin.  My sleepy eyes gazed at the dimly ceiling above my bed.  

I had saved someone’s life tonight.  I knew things were going to be different for me from this night on, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a good thing yet.

___________________________________________

 

The morning came far too quickly.  

My father rustling around in his papers roused me from my slumber.  I stretched under the sheets and yawned a few times before I finally decided to get out of bed.

I changed into a plain gray longsleeve shirt and black pants.  Draping a knitted black shawl over my shoulders, I noticed I hadn’t taken off the opal necklace I had bought the night before.  I fingered the gem gently and admired how it sparkled just so when I manipulated it in the light.  

Padding out into the living space where I was greeted by my father’s chipper tone of voice.  “I heard you had quite the exciting evening, Dacia.”

I furrowed my brows.  “How did you hear that? It’s only morning.”

“My dear, it’s already early afternoon.  You slept most of the day away.”

Panic set in and I scrambled to pull on my black boots.  “Well, why didn’t you wake me up then?”

He shrugged and plopped down in his chair with an armful of papers.  “You were sleeping so soundly; I didn’t want to wake you.  Plus, a nice young man stopped by and told me all about how your night went.”

In the middle of hopping around in attempts to wrestle on my last boot, I nearly fell over at his words. “Young man?! What young man?!” 

He pulled his glasses off and rubbed his chin.  “It might have been that young pilot everyone is going on about.  I fixed his arm up not too long ago.  Poe Dameron, I think it was.”

My face must have turned blood red as I victoriously yanked on the boot, slamming my foot onto the ground with a loud thunk.  “What did he say?”

“That you valiantly saved a young pilot who crash-landed an X-wing late last night in the forest.”  The matter-of-factly way my father was speaking was driving me insane.  That was his nature: to torment me.  “He also said he was going to sing your praises to the General this very afternoon.” 

He flipped his wrist and looked at the time.  “Why, he should be there with her now.”

“Oh my word!” I shrieked, spinning around and running through the door.  

My hair whipped behind me as I sprinted past people.  I didn’t think Poe was seriously going to talk to General Organa about me.

Turning a corner, I almost slid and fell on the smooth ground, but I caught myself as I got closer to the General’s office.  

_ Just breathe.  It may be insanely embarrassing, but it is not the end of the world.  _  I was just doing what any one else would have done.  No extra attention needed to be paid to me about it, plus the loner in me liked being just that -- alone.

I slowed my run to a brisk stride as I entered the General’s conference room; a map was put on a hologram display in the center of the room.  

No one was around, so I wandered closer and looked at the stars and systems it featured.  It was a far-off system.  Not one I was personally familiar with.

A familiar laugh that echoed through the open room redirected my focus.  I followed the sound and heard it was coming from the direction of the General’s main office.

I walked over to the door and pressed my ear to the door to see if I could listen in on the conversation being held within.  It was very muffled and I sighed in defeat; I would have to make my presence known.  

My closed fist hovered over the door, contemplating if I really wanted to go in and speak to  _ either  _ of them.  

Groaning, my fist met the door with three sharp knocks.       “You may enter,” I heard the General say.

I gently opened the door and tried not to look so panicked as I shut the door a little too quickly behind me.  

I turned to see Poe Dameron smiling like an idiot at me while standing by the General, who was seated neatly in her large desk chair.

General Leia Organa was a short woman with sleek, brown, pinned-down hair and a maternal figure.  Her eyes were decorated with wrinkles and her laugh lines were more prominent with the slight grin she was wearing at the moment.

“Excuse me, General Organa,” I managed to get out.

“Not a problem, young lady,” she responded.

Poe piped up.  “General, this is the girl I was telling you about.  Doctor Brok’s daughter.”

“Dacia?”  She inquired, giving me a questioning gaze.

I nodded and took a few steps closer to her desk.  

“Poe here tells me you were quite brave last night.  Saving that pilot’s life just helped the Resistance immensely.  Pilots aren’t easy to come by these days, so we have to keep the ones we have alive and with most of their limbs intact.”  She seemed relaxed as she spoke with a very familiar tone. It was odd though because I hadn’t ever needed to come in contact with her often, if ever.

“I was just doing my duty, ma’am,” I replied quietly.

“Which is precisely what the Resistance needs,” she retorted.  “I need medics who can handle the high-stress of being on the field and not falter under the pressure.”  She motioned to Poe.  “I have a mission that has just arisen that will require Poe and I feel like it may helpful if a medic tagged along.  He might need the help anyway and I don’t need anything happening to the best pilot in the Resistance.”

I felt the sudden need to sit down, so I carefully walked over to a chair and sat myself down slowly.  “Are you sure about this?  I am hardly qualified--”

“There is just something about you that tells me you are  _ perfect  _ for this mission,” Leia interjected.

I sat quietly, mulling the idea over.  I thought of my mother and how being sent on one mission got her killed.  

“Think it over, Dacia,” General Organa stated, as if sensing my trepidation.  “I need to know your decision by the end of the night.  You two may leave.”

Once Poe had strode past me, I rose to my feet and followed him from the office.  The moment the door was shut, I whipped around and stared him down, even though he was taller than me.  “You really felt the need to go singing my praises to her after I only did one kind-of good thing?”

Poe shrugged and starting walking away.  

Scoffing, I chased after him.  “I am  _ speaking  _ to you.”

“I am  _ hungry _ and I am going to get food.  If you want to keep  _ speaking  _ to me, I suggest you come along.”

_ This indignant ass,  _ I huffed mentally, continuing to follow behind him until we were at the mess hall.  It wasn’t too full since it was well past lunch time, but there were a few groups that lingered.

I tailed behind Poe as he went through the food line and picked up a sandwich and an apple. I grabbed an orange and sat down at a table by a large window.

He plopped down lackadaisically and smiled as he started into his sandwich.  After taking a few bites, he cleared his throat and stated, “I don’t know why you’re so mad; I just got you a job, kid.”

I cocked my eyebrow.  “Well, for starters, I’m not a kid; I’m twenty-five.  Secondly, I wasn’t looking for a job.  I was contented with my lot in life currently.  I just got a promotion, remember?”

Poe focused his chocolate-shaded eyes on mine. “I just helped you get another promotion.  I mean, you get to travel the expanse of the universe as my medic sidekick.  Isn’t that even a  _ little _ exciting?”

I started peeling the orange and rolled my eyes.  “And you went and talked to my father.”

He licked some sauce off of his finger after he took the last bite of his sandwich and shrugged again.  “I just happened to be in the neighborhood and I just dropped in to catch up with him for a bit.  The topic of you came up and I decided to let him know how your celebratory night out went.”  He paused then started again. “Oh, I checked in on Derek Blaise before I talked to your dad. The nurse I spoke to said he will recover just fine with only a few scars.”

I straightened up in my seat.  “Well, I’m glad to hear he is going to be alright.”

There was an awkward moment of silence before Poe spoke, “Oh, hey, did you ever find your friend from last night?”

_ Max. _

I nearly choked on the piece of orange I was trying to chew.   _ Oh God. I had totally forgotten about Max. _  “No, I never found him. I overslept this morning and haven’t had a chance to do much of anything yet… thanks to you,” I snarked.

Poe came to his feet.  “Why don’t you go find your ‘friend’ and then we can meet up after sundown at her office once you’ve made your mind; we can talk to her together.”

I swallowed down the rest of the orange watched idly as he walked away.  Thinking of Max’s usual haunts, I exited the mess hall and headed to the first place I thought to look: the barracks.  

The building was brightly lit in a sterile, clinical way. With a determined pace, I made a bee-line down the illuminated hall towards the room he shared.  Room number six.  I knocked gently on the door three times.  After a few moments, I heard shuffling and a few choice words before the door crept open.

There in the doorway was a disheveled Max, without anything clothes on except black sweatpants.  A fresh cut and dried blood on his forehead caught my eye after I noted the pale freckles that covered his bare, lean torso.

“Dacia?”  He seemed surprised to see me.

“Well, I’m glad to see you’re alive,” I said with relief. 

“Barely.” He motioned to the cut on his head.  “I got in a scuffle after we parted ways last night.  The other guy doesn't look much better than me.”

I leaned up on the tips of my toes and touched the wound gently.  Max flinched and I pulled back.  “Just keep it clean and dry and it should heal fine.  You shouldn’t be too scarred from it.”

Max shifted his weight uncomfortably from one bare foot to the other and rubbed the back of his arm with his hand.  “Do you w-want to come in?  Maybe talk for a bit?”

I remembered I did have news to share with him.  I nodded and entered.

The room was small and had two bunk beds on each wall and two small desks.  A few large dressers filled the rest of the space.  Sunlight leaked into the room from a small round window between the beds.

“You can sit.” He motioned to one of the bottom bunks as he went over to a dresser and pulled on a dark shirt.

Sitting down, I came to the conclusion that it was Max’s bunk.  Familiar trinkets littered the headboard: a name tag of his, a scrap of paper filled with scribbles and notes in his handwriting, and a weathered book.  My eyes focused on a small toy I gave him years ago when we were children.  It was fuzzy and pink resembled a small little animal with googly eyes.

I smiled as I picked it up, fingering the worn fur.  Max sitting down on the bed made me turn and face him; he looked worried.

“What’s wrong?” I pressed, cradling the toy in my hand.

“I have something I want to tell you,” he started.  

A sinking feeling in the back of my mind told me where this was going and I was already dreading it the moment he opened his mouth. 

“I got in that fight last night because a friend of mine called me a coward… when I told him how I felt… about you.” He sucked in a breath as I exhaled deeply.  

This was the exact moment I had been dreading for a while, but had been able to avoid thus far.  “Max, any feelings I have for you are only as a friend. It's always been like that…”

I watched the heartbroken expression that fell over his face and I clenched my fists, crushing the toy.  Why was I having to be the bad guy because he misread my intentions?  “I'm sorry, Max. I should go…” 

He continued to sit silently and I placed the toy in his hand and patted it.  “I got a new job.  It's hard to explain right now,  but I don't know when I will see you again,” I said carefully. “Take care of yourself and I hope I will see you soon.” 

I exited the room and shut the door behind me,  resting my back against it.  I didn't hear any noise from within for a few moments before I heard a loud thud followed by the sound of things breaking.  

I backed away from the door with a mild feeling of panic settling over me.  I felt awful that he was reacting this way, but I wasn't going to let him entertain the idea that there was more than friendship between us any longer.     

I left the barracks quickly and was relieved to feel the cool breeze on my skin and the warmth of the setting sun on my hair.  A heavy weight felt like it had been lifted off of me.  I had lost a friend -- one of my  _ only _ friends, but it didn't feel like much of a loss right now. 

My thoughts wandered to my father. I needed to tell him about General Leia’s proposal.  I know he would tell me to do whatever felt right to me and to live a little,  but I wasn't sure this was what I wanted.  

While I was lost in my thoughts, the sun had sunk behind the horizon and the sky was now an inky blue-black color.

Poe had instructed me to meet him at the General’s office after sundown, so I started that way.  The time it took to walk there seemed to pass much slower this time.  All the thoughts and emotions I was sifting through must have been weighing me down.

Once again,  I was passing through the conference room.  There was a new map up on the screen.  Fragments of the map seemed to be missing.  Was that Poe’s mission? Collecting information and filling in the missing parts of the map?  That seemed a silly task for the best pilot in the Resistance.

I could see the General’s door from where I stood and I marched forward to it.  I was reaching for the doorknob when I felt someone touch my other arm.  

Out of reflex, I spun around and ran smack into a chest.  My eyes darted up to see the person I ran into was Poe.  

“Geez, nervous much?”  He laughed as I regained my composure.

I whispered fiercely, “You spooked me, that’s all.” 

“It’s OK to be nervous,” he stated as he motioned to the door.  “Shall we?  Don’t want to keep her waiting.”

Nodding, I turned the handle.  We were met by General Organa standing in the corner of her office, a book in her hands.  “I am glad to see you came back,” she smiled, shutting the book.  

Poe closed the door behind me and guided me over to Leia with a gentle touch on my upper back.

“Dacia, have you come to a decision about my proposal?”  Her face was reassuring as she sat on the edge of her desk, but I still felt nauseated from being nervous.

“I have,” I replied.  My eyes looked over to Poe and he looked just as expectant as the General.  “I will go on this mission.”

Leia clapped her hands together.  “Great.  Now, I will debrief you both on this mission.  Please, sit.”

Poe and I complied before she started again.  “For this mission, I will be sending you to the village of Tuanul on a planet not too far from here.  A friend of mine has a map there that is of the utmost importance.”

_ A map? She wants us to go get a map?  _

Poe must have been thinking the same thing.  We side-eyed each other simultaneously and the confused expression on his face probably matched my own.

“The contents of that map are literally so valuable, that if they fell into the hands of the First Order, there would no longer be a Resistance,” Leia said somberly.  

The thought was quite sobering and the importance of this mission became abundantly clear.  I spoke up, “What’s the name of the planet?  The one where this map is?”

Leia met my gaze and said simply, “Jakku."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience! I haven't had much time to edit this chapter, so I got it up a little later than I would have liked. I am already working on Chapter Three of BomB (Blood of my Blood) and I should be able to get it up within a week. If you want to get updates on how the writing is going or to enjoy Star Wars stuff, you can check out my Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/blog/electrickellie


	3. Life Doesn't Wait

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I bumped into Poe and he put an arm around my waist, holding me to him. His clothes were cold, but after he our contact, they warmed up.  
> My eyes shot up to his as I stood in his arms and we sat there quietly for a moment. I could have gazed into his dark eyes for the rest of the night, but he broke the spell by saying, “We should get you back to your dad, right?”

### Chapter Three: Life Doesn't Wait

 

My mind was still reeling from all the new information I was still absorbing, but there was no time to lose.  Poe and I were to set out on our mission the very next morning.

After General Leia released us, we began our trek back to my quarters.  I had to tell my father about  all that had happened: Max, seeing General Leia, and the important mission we were about to embark on.

Poe walking beside me helped settle my nerves slightly, but I still felt jittery.  “We will arrive on Jakku separately,” he explained as he treaded through the tall grass that lead to our destination.  “My X-wing can only comfortably seat one, so you will get there first and I will pick you up.  We will head to the village together.”

“I’m going to be alone?”  I was slightly alarmed from his statement.  I had no field expertise on survival and I would be on a foreign desert planet by myself.  

He stopped walking and I did as well.  A reassuring hand was put on my upper arm and he smirked, “It will only be for an hour or two.  You will be fine.  A pack full of supplies will be with you.  There isn’t much on Jakku anyway, beyond some scavengers.”

A bright flash of distant lightning illuminated the sky, distracting both of us.  The black night sky had no stars tonight; glowing grey clouds painted the expanse of the sky and shrouded any source of light.

“There’s a storm coming…” Poe said lightly.  I didn’t doubt him especially after the sound of far-off rumbling shook the trees.  We continued walked for a ways until a cold droplet of water hit my upturned cheek.  The single drop was the first of many that began to rain down on us.  Poe took my hand in his and we ran through the torrential rainfall to an overhang attached to a hangar.

My clothes were soaked and Poe looked like a drowned rat; his curls were laying flat against his cheeks and forehead.  We turned and looked at each other before we both erupted into laughter.  

“Well, enjoy the rain now.  There isn’t much rain on Jakku,” Poe noted, peeling his wet jacket off, leaving him in a clingy, tan shirt that stuck to his every muscle -- and there were a lot of them on his chest and torso.

I lowered my eyes and tried to be a little bit more discreet as I stole secret glances at him.  A  large bolt of lightning trailed across the sky and after a moment of silence, a loud explosion of thunder made me jump nearly out of my skin.

I bumped into Poe and he put an arm around my waist, holding me to him.  His clothes were cold, but after he our contact, they warmed up.  

My eyes shot up to his as I stood in his arms and we sat there quietly for a moment.  I could have gazed into his dark eyes for the rest of the night, but he broke the spell by saying, “We should get you back to your dad, right?”  

“Oh, yeah, we should,” I replied, feeling chilled as our bodies were pulled away from each other.  We trudged under the overhang to the housing buildings and once inside the building, I felt much warmer.

We stood in front of my door once again and he straightened up  a little as he spoke.  “Pack lightly.  The team will give you a supply pack already, so you won’t need much.”

“Oh, OK,” I nodded, wondering what I would even pack for a trip to a desert planet to start with.

Poe ran his hands through his still damp hair and gave me a goofy grin.  “Get some sleep.  You’re going to need it.  I will see you tomorrow morning, Dacia.  Oh seven hundred, sharp.”

He waved as he walked away and I sheepishly waved back before opening the door and going inside.

Father was sitting in his chair, engrossed in a book, when I walked in.  I was glad to see he was awake.  He gave me a warm smile and closed his book.  

He noticed my obviously drenched clothes and said, “You best get out of those wets clothes before you catch your death.”

Getting a cold would put a pretty big damper on my plans, so I heeded his warning and went behind the curtain of my bedroom area, changing into some dry pajamas.

I shuffled back over to him and picked up a blanket, wrapping it around myself before plopping into my chair.

“You must have had a very busy day, Dacia,” he noted.  “Tell me about what has kept you occupied all this time.”

I explained to him about how I went to General Organa’s office, about Poe, and about Max.  He was slightly displeased over the loss of Max as a friend, but he was more disappointed at Max’s selfish reaction.  I told him about the mission and he became more serious.

“That mission sounds easy enough,” he murmured, stroking his beard.

A lot of things sounded easy when they were talked about, but when they were actually happening, it was a different story.

I readjusted myself in my blanket cocoon and sighed.  “I don’t like all this change all at once.”

He laughed and set his book on the desk before coming to his feet.  “Life doesn’t wait around for you to be ready before it makes changes.”  He walked over to my chair and I looked up to him.  “You have my blessing to go.  This may be a defining moment in your life that changes your fate forever, but you won’t know until you go.  I will still be here when you get back.  Goodnight, my dearest.”

I closed my eyes as he kissed my forehead gently and retreated to his bed.  He was right.  He always was.  My mind was full and I needed to get some sleep.  But first, I needed a shower.  I had no idea the next time I would get to see hot water, so I stripped off my clothes, pulled on  a robe, and grabbed a towel.  

The door closed quietly behind me and I padded my way down to the community shower.  I was happy to see the women’s showers were empty.  Turning the water to as hot as I could tolerate it, I enjoyed the cloudy steam that covered me and filled the tiled showering area.

Once I had washed my hair and the rest of my body, I turned the water off and dried off, slipping back into my robe.  I kept my hair twisted up in the towel as I padded out of the shower.  

Turning the corner, I ran into someone before my eyes could look up to see where I was going.

“Oh-- I’m so sorry--” I started as I adjusted myself and looked up to see who I had almost knocked over.

_ Max. _

He was also in a robe, his hair still dripping from the shower he had just gotten out of too.  His expression looked hurt, but anger was the underlying emotion I saw.

“You’re going on that mission with Poe Dameron.”  It sounded a lot more like a statement than the question it should have been.

“Yes, to Jakku, for General Organa,” I added quickly.  

His arms crossed over his chest.  “I didn’t plan on telling you this, but now that I bumped into you, I guess I will.”

I raised an eyebrow.  “Oh?  What is that then?”

“I won’t be here when you get back.  I am making plans and changing things too,” he said, trying to sound like those words should have hurt me, but they really didn’t.  I would have thrown him a going-away party if I had the time to.

“Well then, I wish you luck on your new endeavor.  Hopefully, you  make some new friends there,” I snarked, turning away from him and trying to walk away.  

Max snatched my wrist and wrenched me around.  Before I could snap at him, he gripped my face with his hand and pushed his lips against mine.  There was nothing romantic or sweet about it.  It was carnal, primitive.

I thrashed around, but his hands locked my head in place and I could only flail my limbs.  The towel that was keeping my hair restrained flopped off my head and landed on the ground behind me.

My hands pushed against him, but he was as steadied and unmovable as a rock.  I reached up and using my nails, raked them across his face and chest.  He recoiled away from me and I wiped my lips on the arm of my robe, blood dripping from my fingers.  

“You bitch!” He growled.  

I could see the damage I had done: his right cheek had three deep gashes that went down the side of his face and carried to his chest. 

I grabbed my towel off the floor then turned around and ran.  I ran as fast my legs could carry me.  My heart was thumping so hard against my chest I felt like it was going to explode.

Once I got safely behind the door of my room, I locked the door quickly.   _ Was he going to come here?  Was he going to try and hurt me since I had hurt him?  _  I stood at the door, ear pressed to it, so hear if anyone was coming down the hall.  After a few moments with no sound, I relaxed slightly.  

With a sigh, I started cleaning the blood out from under my nails and off my fingertips.  I hung up the now blood-stained towel to dry and slipped into my room again.  

Pulling on my pajamas again, I began packing a light bag of essentials that I would need on this mission.  I wasn’t sure what was expected or needed, so I just packed some clean clothes, toiletries and other small things.

Once snuggled into my bed, I stared at the ceiling, feeling my eyelids getting heavier every second.  I had several things cross my mind before I slipped into slumber, but the last one I recall vividly was Poe.

  
  


The irritating noise of my alarm woke me from my sleep at the ungodly hour of 6 am.  I growled and turned it off.  Pulling my blankets up to my chin, I rubbed my eyes roughly, trying to wake myself up.  

After a few moments, I groaned loudly and pulled the warm blankets off of me.  The cool air that lingered in the room hit my skin and I immediately regretted my decision.  

Quickly, I took off my pajamas and pulled on new undergarments.   A pair of brown pants covered my legs and I found a thin white shirt to wear under my long-sleeved brown leather bolero jacket.  I pulled on my boots and grabbed the backpack I had packed my things into.

The last thing I needed was my medic patch.  It was required if you were on duty, so if there was an emergency, you could be easily identified as someone who could help medically.  The patch wrapped around my upper arm, lacing up on one side.  The red cross covered most of the canvas, so it was hard to miss.

I set my bag down temporarily and leaned into my father’s room and saw that he was sleeping soundly.  I didn’t want to wake him, so I gently kissed his wrinkled forehead.

The door closed silently behind me and I took a deep breath in.  

_ Time to go. _

I made my way to the hangar where I knew Poe’s X-wing was being held.  People were scrambling all over, fixing things as they went, packing supplies into the back of the X-wing, and yelling things from across the hangar.

My eyes scanned around, looking for Poe or the General or even BB-8.  After finding nothing, I sat down on a metallic box and crossed my legs.  

I could hear a hushed conversation between two X-wing mechanics who were within earshot of me.  

“There’s a missing speeder bike.” One said with a concerned tone.

“They were all accounted for last night, right?” The other asked.

“Yeah, they were.  To make things worse, Max hasn’t shown up yet.  That’s a strange thing for him to do.”

“Do you think there’s a correlation?”

“I’m not sure…”

I was so engrossed in listening in on their conversation, I didn’t notice when I was joined on the box by Poe.  I turned quickly and acted like I wasn’t just eavesdropping.  BB-8 whistled loudly as he whirled up next to us.

“Oh, hush. Go get oiled up before we head out,” he said the droid, like as if it was a whining sibling.  The droid rolled off and Poe turned to me, offering up a pale biscuit and a peach-like fruit.  “Eat up.  A good breakfast is the best start to a mission.”

I smiled as a grin spread across his face.  “Sure.”  I took a small bite of the biscuit and soon discovered the aching in my stomach was hunger, not just nervousness.

I quickly ate the biscuit, but I took more time with the fruit.  It was tart, but very juicy.  The last bite was in my mouth when General Organa spotted us and began striding over to us.  I spied her and chewed quickly, tossing the seed of the fruit in a patch of nearby grass.  

“I am glad to see you both here, bright and early,” Leia said cheerily.  It certainly was early, but it wasn’t very bright yet.  The sun hadn’t peeked over the horizon and probably wouldn’t for another thirty minutes.

“My X-wing is ready to go, General.  What about the transport for Dacia?”  Poe asked.

Hearing him speak my name made me focus more on the conversation.  

“She is being taken in on a small shuttle.  Nothing flashy; nothing that will catch the attention of the First Order.  Poe, you on the other hand, need to ensure you get on Jakku in a more stealthy manner.”  Leia didn’t seem too concerned about it though.  He  _ was  _ the best pilot in the Resistance afterall.

Poe straightened his tan jacket and nodded.  “I should only be an hour tops behind you, Dacia,” he explained before he started walking away.  “I’m going to get BB-8.  That transport should be about ready to leave.”

“OK,” I nodded.  

Leia turned to me and leaned in close.  “Not too nervous, right?”

I felt my cheeks turn hot.  “Oh, no, I am fine right now.”

“Poe will take care of you.  He’s a reliable one, even though he thinks he is a comedian.  He takes care of business when it gets down to it,” she said with a smirk.  

She put out her hand to shake with mine.  I took it and shook it firmly.  “Good luck.  I hope to hear from you soon.”

I waved her off as she strode back towards her office.  My eyes spotted the small grey transport shuttle that I was supposed to go to.  

A tall man in an orange flight suit greeted me when I arrived there.  “I’m Brad Kessler, the pilot.”  He pointed to a tan duffel bag on the floor of the transport.  “That duffel bag there has a basic medical kit in it and some supplies.  The bag you brought should fit in it fine,” he explained, helping me into the transport.  I did as he instructed and I put the dark duffel bag next to me as I sat down on a bench-like seating with seatbelts.

“There’s a headset above your head once you’re strapped in and we can talk that way if it’s needed,” Brad stated as I started buckling into the seat.  He checked all the straps and approved of them with a thumbs up.  “Time to head out.”

I put the headset on once he had shut the side door of the transport.  The cockpit was open in the back, so I could see him climb in and get strapped in also.  He flipped several switches and turned a few knobs before putting on his headset.

“Can you hear me, Dacia? Over.”

“Yes. Over,” I said into the mouthpiece of the headset.

“Great.  Let’s get on our way.  Over.”

Within a few moments, I could feel the ship’s engines firing up and the shuttle lurched up.  My hands gripped the handles and bit my lip.  

_ You’re fine.  You’ve been in ships before and this is no different.  Relax. _

My mental pep talk helped because I could feel my anxiety lowered slightly once the ship stabilized once we broke through the atmosphere.  

“Doing OK back there? Over,” Brad asked.

“Yes. I’m still OK.  Over,” I replied.

“We will be there shortly, so hang tight.  Over,” he said before it went quiet again.

The time did pass quickly and I was jostled around again as we began landing.  After a few quiet moments on the ground, Brad moved to the back of the shuttle where I was.  

“You are about a few hours walk to the village of Tuanul.  I couldn’t risk landing too close to the village and letting the First Order see where we were dropping you off,” he explained, helping me unbuckle and hanging the headset up.  “Poe shouldn’t be too far behind, so you probably won’t have to walk all of it.”

I groaned internally.  “Alright then,” I replied, pulling the strap of the duffel bag over my shoulder.  

Brad opened the door and a fierce, sandy wind blew by and the heat was pulsating.  I was already dreading getting out of the shuttle.  

He handed me a pair of  goggles that were hung up by the door and a bandana-type wrap.  

“That will help with the sand.  You may want to take off your jacket too if you don’t want to have a heat stroke.”

I did as instructed, pulling the wrap around my face, strapping on the goggles and shedding my jacket, shoving it in the bag.

He pointed towards a mountainous structure far off in the distance.  “Keep walking in that direction and you will get there.  Good luck,” Brad said as I stepped out into the sand. 

The harsh sun beat down on me immediately.  I heard the sound of the side door of the shuttle being slammed shut and the whirling sound of the ship starting up.

I began trekking forward, trying not to think about how hot and dry it was in this desert wasteland.  

There wasn’t much for landscape.  I could see the tall mountains of sand in the distance that were in the direction of the village.  A few lone decrepit and lifeless trees scattered across the desertscape.  

I could feel the sweat pooling on my forehead and the sun scorching my scalp from my dark hair.

It was probably only thirty minutes of walking, but it felt like an eternity in this neverending desert.  I sat down on a rock and started rummaging through the duffel bag and was thankful to find a canteen of water.  

I pulled the bandana away from my mouth and began drinking the water hungrily.  From the moment the water hit my lips, I started feeling better.  Throwing the bag over my shoulder again and trudged on again.  

A distant howling from some unseen sand-dwellers caught me off guard and I tripped in the sand, landing on my hands. Cursing, I tried standing back up, but I felt my boots being pulled in by the sand.  

“Oh no no no NO NO!!”  I started yelling.  It had to be a sandpit. They can swallow up whole ships if it landed in them just right.  My hands scrambled to tear my duffel bag off.  I used all my strength to throw it as hard as I could, hoping it would land on solid ground.  I was happy to see it settled quietly on the ground far enough away from the pit to where it wasn’t being pulled in. 

The tightening feeling around my ankles was moving up my leg as the sand start dragging me further.  My eyes darted around, looking to see if there was anything I could use to pull myself out.  I was met with disappointment and I could feel the dread rising up in me.

Clawing at the sand around me, trying to pull myself loose, I started shouting, “I DON’T WANT TO DIE IN THE DESERT!”  Yelling made me feel better, but the sand kept pulling me under inch by inch until it was up to my hips.

I kept pulling at the sand around me, but I kept getting nowhere but deeper into this pit of sinking sand.  My energy was starting to drain from me.  Helplessness washed over me and I conceded to my fate as the sand slipped up to my waist. 

The heavy pressure of the sand began crushing my stomach and I could feel my lungs shrink with every breath.  Purple dots started covering my field of vision.  I heard a distant boom and I turned my head in the direction of the sound, but saw nothing.  

My breaths were coming shortly and quickly as the gritty sand dragged me down to my chest.  The edges of my vision were starting to turn dark.  

“DACIA!” I heard someone yell, but they sounded so far away.  My eyes drifted shut as the pressure of the sand pushed my lungs closed.  There was a tugging on my wrists, but I wasn’t pulled out easily.  

Just as I felt like there was no air left in my lungs, I took a last breath and my lungs expanded fully.  My eyes shot open and I was on my back, looking up at the cloudless blue sky.

I coughed and rolled over on my side to see BB-8 leaning on his side, looking rather concerned.  A hand rolled me over and when I opened my eyes again, I saw Poe as he pulled the goggles off of my face.

“Dacia?  Are you OK?”  He sounded concerned. 

“Oh yeah, I’m great,” I scoffed, sitting up.  I slid the bandana off of my face and it hung around my neck.

“Glad to see nearly dying didn’t hurt your sense of humor.”

I rolled my eyes and turned to him.  “How did you find me?”

“There’s a tracking device in that duffel bag we gave you.  Just to ensure you didn’t get lost or I wouldn’t be able to find you if you did,” he explained.

“Well, that’s nice,” I sighed and attempted to come to my feet, but I fell to my knees again.  

Poe stood up and offered me a hand.  I took it and got to my feet without falling this time.  

“Thanks…” I murmured.  BB-8 beeped happily.  The little bot shot out a cable around my duffel bag and dragged it behind him as he spun over to Poe’s X-wing.  

“We will have to take my X-wing the rest of the trip,” Poe said as we followed BB-8’s path over to the ship.

I raised an eyebrow.  “I thought you said it only seated one.”

“ _ Comfortably, _ ” Poe smirked.  “You will not be very comfortable wedged behind my seat, but it’s better than walking in this desert.”

I couldn’t argue with that especially as seeing that the last time I walked in this stupid desert, I almost died.  

BB-8 slipped up into his little spot on the back of the X-wing and he kept my bag attached to his cable.  I doubted there was room in the cockpit for me and the bag anyway.

Poe helped me up in the cockpit and I saw the room I had to work with.  Behind Poe’s seat was a small enough area where I could sit if I pushed my knees to my chest and leaned back.  I did so and I felt like a fish in a can.

“Comfortable?” Poe laughed, strapping into his seat.  

“I have never experienced such luxury,” I snarked.

Poe laughed as he turned the engines on.

“Well sit tight, we'll be there soon.”

As we took off, I watched from the small windows as the desert flew by us.  It seemed much less intimidating from this height.  Just a ocean of sand.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, letting my thoughts wander.

_ I wonder what is on that map... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters down! I already have half of the next chapter written, so it shouldn't be too long before I can get that one posted too. I hope you are enjoying the story so far! If you want to get updates on how the story is going, hints of what's to come, or enjoy some fun Star Wars posts, follow me on [my tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/electrickellie) Thanks again and I hope to talk to you again soon! <3 - Ellie


	4. Bloodstain on the Sands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was lost in my confused thoughts for a moment, but I was wrenched back to reality when I heard Poe yell my name out in the distance. He kept calling something, but I couldn't quite make it out. 
> 
> I sprang to my feet and saw him waving his arms desperately at me. Lor San Tekka stood behind Poe, looking worried. 
> 
> BB-8 begin beeping rapidly in alarm, speeding off towards Poe, with me running behind him.
> 
> Poe’s words didn’t become clearer until we were nearly upon him and then I could hear very clearly. “IT’S THE FIRST ORDER!”  
> My head snappe

### Chapter Four: Bloodstain on the Sands

The trip to the village of Tuanul wasn’t very long at all.  The village was isolated in the Kelvin Ravines of the Western Reaches of Jakku.  I was able to see most of the village that was nestled atop a plateau from the cramped space I was occupying behind Poe in the X-wing.  

Once we had landed, I happily crawled out and landed on shaky knees.  I twisted my legs and heard the popping from my ankles and knees as they adjusted to being in a standing position again.  

BB-8 dropped from the back of the X-wing and rolled over to us, beeping and whistling.  

“Stay close and be careful, BB-8,” I warned, stretching my arms out over my head, “or you’ll end up in a sandpit like I did.”

My warning seemed to frighten the droid as he moved closer to Poe and I.

Poe laughed beside me, mocking how I was stretching out my limbs.  “Getting old there?”

“You’re older than me,” I snarked back.  “And besides, let’s see you sit behind that seat and then you can tell me how you feel, old man.”

He frowned and ran his hand through his black curls self-consciously.  “I’m not that old…”

I laughed and turned to see the village before us.  The huts were small and handmade; made mostly of straw thatched together.  

A few of the villagers stood outside their huts, watching us carefully as we began walking towards them.  They didn’t seem scared of us, but they were definitely leery of our presence.

A tall, thin figure cloaked in a black flowing coat stepped out from a larger hut.  His face was worn from his old age.  White stubble covered his face, matching the white short hair on his head.

He wore a brightly-dyed blue tunic with a dark brown leather-hide belt across it.  His posture led me to believe he was becoming weary, unable to stand completely straight up.

We were now nearing the old man, his stature changed.  

“Lor San Tekka?” Poe called out.  

The man nodded in acknowledgement before Poe spoke again.  “General Organa sent us here to speak with you.”

Lor San Tekka seemed to relax a small amount before calling back, “The Resistance is welcome here.  Come!”  He waved us towards the hut he had just exited.  

Poe looked down at me and we nodded in agreeance before heading to the hut.  BB-8 beeped at us and followed close behind.  

We entered the hut through a beaded curtain.  The air was filled with a fragrant aroma of incense that reminded me of the perfume an old woman.  In the center of the tent there was a large sitting area that was littered with chairs of various shape and size; draped over the chairs were blankets made of brightly-colored thread.

Lor San Tekka settled into a round chair and motioned for us to do the same.  I slunk into a very soft  chair and Poe sat in an armchair near Lor San Tekka.  

“I am glad you have come,” Lor San Tekka said.

Poe leaned forward in his seat,  “You have something that could help the Resistance.”

Lor San Tekka nodded.  His weathered hand reached for a ornately carved box that sat on the table near by.  He opened it and my eyes caught a glimpse of a small leather satchel.  

“This will begin to make things right,” he explained, putting the satchel in Poe’s hand.  I watched with piqued interest.  BB-8 beeped and rolled up next to Poe.  

“OK, buddy,” Poe replied to the robot, taking an oddly shaped piece of metal out of the satchel and placing it in a tray that BB-8 ejected.  “Keep it safe, alright?”

The droid whistled in response.

I gazed through the beaded entryway to see the setting sun painting the darkening sky with hues of pink, orange, and red.  

“I’m going to go outside and walk around for a bit,” I stated to Poe.  We made brief eye contact before I turned to Lor San Tekka.  I bowed gently and he gave me a polite gesture of the hand.

I walked through the doorway and heard Poe tell BB-8 to follow me.  I had only walked about ten feet before the droid caught up with me.  

“Coming with me then?” I asked, even though I wouldn’t understand his response.  Some people were able to communicate with droids, but I wasn’t able to do so very well, if it all.  It was a talent some were born with and others learned it over time.

The droid made a whirling noise and I kept walking on, my boots sinking slightly into the sand.  

Most of the villagers had starting going inside their huts as the sun began setting further down the horizon.  The hazy shades of pink turned to a purple hue and then into a midnight blue.

A large rock jutted out of the ground on the outskirts of the village and it looked like the perfect spot to sit down.  I made my way to the rock and climbed up it.  I folded my legs under me and I could feel the coolness of the night starting to set in on the stone.  

BB-8 beeped in protest because I sat somewhere that he couldn’t roll onto also.  I sighed and leaned over, touching on it’s front panel to see if it had some sort of all-terrain function.  My fingers moved over some buttons and knobs.  I pressed hard on on button and a bright light flashed from the projector on BB-8.  

A section of a map appeared in hologram form above my head.  It wasn’t a star system I was familiar with and it wasn’t labeled in any way to where I could even begin guessing where it was or what the map led to.  

After a few moments, the map disappeared with a flash and I looked to BB-8.  “What was that?” I asked him.  I knew this was the map we were sent there to recover, but what was it for? How was this going to help the Resistance and turn the tide in the war against the First Order?  Where did it lead to?

I was lost in my confused thoughts for a moment, but I was wrenched back to reality when I heard Poe yell my name out in the distance.  He kept calling something,  but I couldn't quite make it out.   

I sprang to my feet and saw him waving his arms desperately at me.  Lor San Tekka stood behind Poe, looking worried.  

BB-8 begin beeping rapidly in alarm, speeding off towards Poe, with me running behind him.

Poe’s words didn’t become clearer until we were nearly upon him and then I could hear very clearly.  “IT’S THE FIRST ORDER!”  

My head snapped up to the sky behind me and I could see several of the First Order shuttles that transported stormtroopers throughout the galaxy.

Poe grabbed me by my shoulders, pulling my eyes toward him.  

“Where is the map? BB-8 still has it, right?” He demanded.  

I nodded and began explaining, “I touched the front of his panel and it projected the map.  I saw it.  I’m sorry…” I felt bad because it probably wasn’t my place to see the map in the first place.

His facial expression washed over with fear and his eyes grew wide.  He released his grip on my shoulders before turning away from me.  Cursing in the wind, he turned to Lor San Tekka.  

“You have to hide her,” Lor San Tekka called out.  “Her life depends on it.” 

“Why?!” I cried out.  “What’s that map lead to?”

I didn’t get a response before Poe grabbed my hand in his and we started running.  BB-8 zoomed past us, whistling in distress.

“What does that map mean, Poe?!” I screamed at him.  My lungs burned from all the yelling and running.

He yelled over his shoulder, “The less you know, the safer you will be!  They can take that information from your mind and they will kill you the second they have it!”

“How is that possible?!”  I yelled back.

A thunderous boom echoed through the desert and we stopped in our tracks.  Poe grabbed my arm and pointed to the black command shuttle that began its descent down.  “Worst case scenario: Kylo Ren is on that ship.  He can manipulate your mind and take that information out of it.  Once he gets what he wants, he will destroy you.”

The gravity of what he said hit me and I could feel my pulse hammering in my ears.  The name Kylo Ren struck fear into the heart of anyone in the Resistance.  He was a soulless Knight of Ren that served the First Order and led them forward in their tyrannical march towards dominating the galaxy. 

The noise from the ship became louder and louder as it came closer to landing.  

“We have to go!” Poe exclaimed, grabbing my arm firmly again and we started running again.  

I scrambled to turn and face the direction we were running.  His X-wing was too far away to reach before the shuttle landed and I could see him panicking, his eyes darting around, looking for somewhere to hide me. 

BB-8 beeped in alarm behind us as we continued to run until Poe spied a small rock formation that was passable as cover.  “Here!”  He pointed, helping me hide between two very cool slats of rock.  I could still see the village, but I was far enough away where I could hide there undetected.  

Once settled, Poe looked over his shoulder and I heard the sound of the shuttle landing.  I noticed there wasn’t room for Poe with me.  “Poe!  Where will you hide?”  

Dread began to creep up on me as he said, “Don’t worry about me!  I have to get BB-8 out of here and keep  _ you _ safe!”

“But--!”  I started and he stopped me by holding my face in his hands, locking eyes with me.  

“I will come back for you, Dacia!  I won’t let them hurt you!”  The sound of troopers coming off the shuttle distracted him and he turned away.  “I have to go.  I will come back for you, I promise!”

His hands left my skin and I reached out, only touching the edge of his jacket as he ran towards his X-wing, BB-8 moving quickly behind him.  

I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest as I sat huddled between the rocks.  I could hear the screams of the villagers as their village was ransacked; their homes and lives destroyed.

My vision was very obscured, so I couldn’t see much, but I saw blaster fire coming from the direction of the shuttle towards the direction of Poe’s X-wing.  

_ Was this it?  Was this how it ended?  Huddled up in a rock, hoping no stormtroopers found me and killed me? And that was if they didn’t take me to Kylo Ren first, who would read my mind, then kill me once he had what he needed. _

My thoughts were invading my senses so much I didn’t even hear the eerie quietness that settled over the area.  Curious, I leaned slightly forward to see Lor San Takka speaking to the tall black apparition I knew to be Kylo Ren.  

He looked very much like he had been described.  He was very tall, clad all in black, with a red blade-like saber in his hand; there were exhaust ports on either side of the hilt.  The metallic mask on his face, which caused me more alarm than it should have, changed his voice into a deep, hoarse version of itself.  

He was terrifying as he loomed over the elderly man I had only met earlier this same day.  

They shared a brief exchanging of words.  I couldn’t hear much, but it sounded like Kylo Ren was looking for something that he knew Lor San Tekka had, but the old man did not yield, mentioning something about “family.”

Kylo Ren was here looking for the map that was physically tucked inside BB-8 and was mentally tucked in my mind.  

Shock flooded over me as I watched in silent horror as Kylo Ren raised his saber and struck Lor San Tekka down.  

My hands flew to my mouth as I gasped loudly, tears burned at the corners of my eyes.  He had just killed someone to try and retrieve this map.  I could sense my own mortality creeping on me.

The loud sound of a crash and the anguished cry of someone being crushed under the debris startled me.  My eyes shot over to a medical officer for the First Order being crushed under the burning beams of a village hut that must have collapsed while he was still near it.  His cries were short lived and deathly silence followed.

“Over here!”  I heard a trooper yell and I was shocked to see him standing over me.

I had been found.

“NO!” I screamed as I was dragged out.  I was now able to look around and see the damage that had been wrought upon the village.  No building was left untouched.  Burning smolders were all that remained of many of the huts and lives here.  

The trooper dragged me along and I kept looking around, trying to find Poe or BB-8.  I saw the X-wing, but nothing else that was familiar.  

My face turned forward and I saw where the trooper was leading me -- towards Kylo Ren.  Full-on panic set in and I started flailing and kicking my legs, which required another trooper to flank me and help the other trooper carry me along.  All my screaming and thrashing did me no good.  

Once I was brought to Ren, I was shoved down onto my knees into the cool sand and I lowered my head.  Hot tears ran down my cheeks.  Was he going to kill me like he did Lor San Tekka?  Was I going to end up just a bloodstain on the sands of Jakku?

I sat there trembling for a moment before I saw the black cape of Kylo Ren pooling on the ground before me.  My eyes crept up slowly and I was met by the terrifyingly stoic mask, causing me to physically recoil in fear.  He was kneeling before me, staring me down.  

The lack of human eye-contact made him even more monstrous.  He tilted his head and with a gloved finger touched the armband with the medical red cross on it that I wore on my left arm.

“Are you a medic?”  

I struggled to form any words, so I just nodded.

Kylo Ren motioned to the medic I had just watched die and stated casually,  “It would seem we are in need of a medic on my shuttle now.  Are you able to treat the injured?”

I sat dumbfounded for a moment, but this time, I managed to get a word out.  “Y-yes.”

“Good.  You are coming with us then,” he stated quickly as he rose to his feet, turning towards his shuttle and boarding it.  The stormtroopers that all came with him were directed back onto the shuttle by a tall stormtrooper, obviously the leader, who was clad in a silver armor and was adorned with a red cape.

I was pulled to my feet and led to the shuttle also.  I was buckled into a seat in a small holding cell in the back of the shuttle.  The door was slammed shut behind the trooper that guarded it.  

The shuttle began flying and the rocking of the ship became a relaxing pulse as my adrenaline died down and weariness began to overtake me.  

My eyes began to close and I kept thinking of Poe.  Had he escaped?  Was he even still alive?  What of BB-8?  Did he manage to get as far away from the First Order as possible?

I then began worrying about my own fate.  I knew how much in danger I was having seen the map.  I buried the thought and tried to clear my mind as I slipped into slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this chapter posted. I ended up dropping this story for a bit to work on something else, but I had a renewed desire to finish this chapter up and get it posted recently. Thank you for reading!!


	5. Chapter Five: In The Lion's Den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prospects for me weren’t looking too great. Here I was trapped on the enemy’s ship with information buried deep in my memories that could get me killed. Poe Dameron could be anywhere in the galaxy at this point, if not being held captive on this very ship.

I woke from a dreamless slumber in the hold of the transport where I had fallen asleep. I could hear the sound of troopers in the distance. The buckle holding me into my seat still held tight. With a yank, managed to unsnap it.   
My legs were unsteady beneath me as I stretched, fatigue settling in from the long, arduous day. I was aching in places I didn’t know could ache.  
The door opened with a loud banging and I froze.  
A tall stormtrooper with a blaster stood before me. “I see you unbuckled yourself. Follow me,” the muffled voice said.  
I regained control of my feet and trailed behind the trooper as I was led out of the large command shuttle.  
The hangar we were in was incredibly massive. Scores of troopers were everywhere: marching in formation, working on TIE fighters, or loading into ships.   
As a member of The Resistance, this place was one of nightmares. I was encircled by enemies ready to kill me for any shred of information I may have that may help them bring down the Resistance. I was very much the mouse in a den of hungry lions.   
I sped up my pace, coming beside the trooper. “Hey--where are we?”  
“We are aboard the Finalizer, a First Order Battlecruiser,” the trooper replied.   
A cold sweat formed at the base of my neck. I immediately knew where I was and I knew how much danger I was in. The Finalizer was a well-known ship in the First Order under the command of the fearsome General Hux.  
Dread began creeping up on me and I felt my nerves begin to tingle in my arms. I crossed them and kept my legs moving. I was led down large, low-lit halls by the trooper who remained silent as we continued on, which didn’t help my nerves. Being alone on this ship was a very depressing thought.  
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, breaking the quiet.  
“The Medical Bay,” the stormtrooper replied. I pondered on what Kylo Ren had said about needing a new medic. Was I just basically kidnapped and forced into being a medic for the enemy?  
We took a sharp turn and entered through two sliding glass doors that opened up into a sprawling medical center. There were curtained off areas for examination and recovery. All the most recent and sophisticated medical equipment was here. A bacta tank was located in the corner and was much larger than any I had ever seen.  
Of course the First Order would have the most advanced and modern machinery for medicine. Wrecking havoc and having a war against the galaxy and all who stands against you tends to lead to a lot of injury.  
The trooper turned to leave. “The medical director will be here shortly.”  
Whoosh  
The glass doors shut again and I was alone. Now, I was free to explore and familiarize myself. Passing a mirror, I caught a glance at my reflection: dirt and sand covered all areas of exposed flesh. My hair was tousled and coated in sand; grime was caked under my nails.   
I strode over to a sink and peeled off my jacket while I waited for the water to warm up. With a copious amount of sterile soap, I cleaned the general layer of grime off of my skin.  
My eyes wandered to my medic band, still attached to my jacket. That was why I was here in the first place.  
With a sigh, I began drying off with some paper towels.  
Whoosh   
The sliding doors opened again and two people in black attire came in.  
One was a tall, thin, and severe-looking man with no hair, but a dark beard. His arms were crossed and he carried himself like he very reclusive. The other was a petite-framed woman (probably not much older than myself) with kindly dark blue eyes and blonde hair pulled into a bun. They were both very pale and it struck me as odd, but I can’t imagine one gets to sunbathe much aboard a ship like this. The woman wore a kindly smile as the pair approached me.  
“Um...hello,” I said, turning up to meet them.  
“Hello. I am Doctor Amelia Nestre,” the woman greeted before motioning to the man next to her. “This is my assistant, Zan DeMoye. You are our new medic then?”  
“I guess I am,” I replied. “I’m here under some odd circumstances…”  
She tugged at the hem of her shirt, seeming distracted. “So we have been informed. Our last field medic... died in the raid on Jakku.”  
I rubbed the back of my arm and stood quietly. That was probably their friend who died and I was just shoved in as a replacement like it was nothing; just another casualty of war.  
Amelia turned and said something I couldn’t catch to Zan, causing him to turn and stride over to a machine. “What was your name then?”  
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment. I stuck my hand out and said, “Oh--I’m sorry. It’s Dacia Brok.”  
“Charmed.” She shook my extended hand then guided me to the machine Zan stood by: it was a contraption with a seat and a spot for an arm to rest on either side. “Please sit.”  
With a pause, I did as instructed and Amelia began to explain, “We will need to vaccinate you for any diseases or illnesses before you can begin your work here.”  
That’s reasonable enough, I thought to myself.  
“Place your non-dominant arm on the spot here, please,” Amelia continued. I moved my arm in place before Zan spray the crook of my arm with a numbing spray that took effect immediately.   
He pulled a strap over my forearms and bicep and I cocked a brow. “Is that really necessary?”  
“Just for precautions sake,” she smiled to me. I wasn’t very reassured. “Stay as still as possible and you’ll be fine.”  
Zan hit a few buttons on the screen mounted to the machine. It whirled to life and a robotic arm with a needle-like attachment moved toward my arm. It took a moment to line itself up to my vein before pressing the needle into my skin. My eyes focused on the the vial attached to the needle as it pumped a light blue substance into my veins.  
Once the needle retracted, blood began to pool at the injection site, but was dabbed off by Zan before he placed a bandage over it. The straps were pulled off my arms and Amelia helped me out of the chair.   
She went on to explain that my main task was to be the in-field medic for the First Order. I would accompany the garrison on missions and raids, but in my down time, I would help tending to the wounded here on the Finalizer.  
“Zan and I will rotate shifts here with you. You’ll take the overnight shifts for now,” she continued. I pulled on my jacket again and walked beside Amelia towards the door.   
Zan quietly broke away from us and headed down the hall in the opposite direction of where I was being led to.  
Amelia and I headed down the passageway; I struggled to keep up with her fast stride. “You will have your own room here. Schedule-wise, you’ll be on night shift like I said, but there’s a lot of downtime in the medical bay. All three of us are on-call all the time, so just use your free time to your advantage.”  
We turned a corner and entered a long hall lined with doors. A few people moved past us and they seemed to be other personnel like engineers and pilots.   
She stopped in front of a metallic door and showed me a fingerprint pad. “This is your room here. Scan your fingerprint there and that’ll be your way to get in and out of the room.”  
I placed my index finger on the cool pad and it scanned before speaking robotically, “Please state your name.”  
I leaned in, said my full name, and it beeped in agreeance before the door slid open.   
Amelia patted me on the back. “I’ll leave you to get settled. Be at the medical bay at 1700. Nights are relatively slow, so I suggest you bring a holobook with you. The library is on this floor too.”  
Stepping into the room, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I pressed my back to the closed door and looked over the room.   
It was decently sized with dark walls, which made it seem smaller than it actually was. A small bed was tucked in the corner and I smiled to see it was made up with fresh linens. There was nothing better than fresh sheets after a long day.   
A door opposite of the bed led to a stark white bathroom and in the corner by the entryway was a small dresser. I moved through the room and noticed a small desk and chair behind me.  
There was no window for lighting, but an ambient glow came from the recessed ceiling above me.   
My weary feet carried me to the bed where I happily flopped down. I began to let my mind wander as I tugged off my boots.   
Prospects for me weren’t looking too great. Here I was trapped on the enemy’s ship with information buried deep in my memories that could get me killed. Poe Dameron could be anywhere in the galaxy at this point, if not being held captive on this very ship. I was sent on this mission by General Leia Organa and I felt like I was failing at it, even if it was indirectly.   
Then I thought about my father and the hot tears began to sting the corners of my eyes. This was all becoming too much. I placed my head in my hands and started sobbing.   
I just wanted to be back in my own bed--back to my old life. I sat there crying for an indistinguishable amount of time.  
Once I had let out all of my pent-up emotions, I desired nothing more than a long hot shower.  
Stripping down, I padded down to the bathroom. It was all white and chrome including the shower, toilet, sink, and a medicine cabinet. My fingers played with the dial in the shower until it started pouring a waterfall of hot water from the ceiling. I stepped in gratefully and just stood there for a few moments, enjoying the heat.   
Once I had washed myself with the provided soaps, I stepped out and dried off with a towel hanging on a hook nearby.   
Wrapped up in the towel, I strode over to the dresser to see if there were clothes in the room as well since almost everything else had been seen to.   
To my surprise, there were undergarments and a few matching outfits already provided; all black to my dissapointment. I pulled out a dress-looking outfit and saw it consisted of two parts: the bottom was a high-waisted pencil skirt with a small slit and length to my knees and the top was a long-sleeved black jacket that buttoned down from the high-collared neck down to the bottom. Each sleeve had the medic symbol embroidered in bright red; the only color on the outfit.   
I got dressed in the skirt, a tank top from the top drawer, and the jacket.   
Moving to the mirror in the bathroom, I looked at myself for a long while. In all black, I looked like another person. My hair seemed a darker shade in all this black apparel and my skin lost it’s sunkissed glow.   
The more I looked at myself the more firm my resolve became. I needed to play along until I could get the hell off of this ship and get back to the Resistance.   
After some rifling in the bottom drawer, I found a pair of stretchy black flats that fit well enough to work for now. I stuffed my old clothes in the empty drawer. If I was to make my escape, it would be smart to have both outfits in case I ended up in Resistance territory.   
A silver watch that was placed delicately on the nightstand caught my eye as I turned to leave. I slipped it on my wrist and looked at the time: 1533. I had time before I had to be back at the medical bay. That time would be used to try and figure out how to get out of here.  
Once out of the room, I moved quickly to try and cover as much as ground as possible, but then thought better of it as I got some odd looks from passing troopers. My pace dropped to a slow stride and I kept my eyes open for anything pertaining to escape pods or even the hangar. If I could sneak on a ship, I could make my way to a Resistance hideout and get back home.  
I tried to mask my very obvious anxiety as I kept tucking my hair behind my ears and kept my eyes low.   
Poe  
My mind wandered back to him again and I sighed. The not knowing if he was alive or not was terrifying and the thought that he could be here on this very ship too as a captive was gut-wrenching.   
I raised my eyes to see a small enclave type room with a sign posted above it.   
Holobook Library  
Amelia had suggested I grab a book. I didn’t foresee me making my grand escape on this night anyway, so I may as well plan for the evening.   
I entered the library and was greeted by an elderly man behind a desk. He smiled and offered his welcome.  
“Oh, hi,” I replied. “How do I check out a holobook?”  
He motioned to the fingerprint scanner, much like the one for my room. “Scan your fingerprint and take whatever ones you’d like.”  
I did as instructed and the same robotic voice repeated my name back to me. “Can you point me in the direction of the medical texts?”  
He pointed his wrinkled finger toward the back corner and I gave my thanks before heading that way.   
My fingers traced the shelves, touching the holobook’s glowing spines, causing their titles to illuminate. I picked up one on general medicine, but I was disappointed to see there wasn't much selection at all.   
I had squatted down to read the titles on the bottom shelf when I heard the fingerprint reader recite a name: General Armitage Hux.   
My knees locked up and a cold sweat formed on my forehead. The feared leader of the First Order was literally in the same room as me and all I could think of was running away.   
The distant sound of boots on the tile floor echoed between the shelves as I crept quietly to the end of the aisle, the holobook clutched to my chest. I peered around the corner and all I saw was a long black cloak whisping by the aisle over from me.  
I stealthily moved to the next aisle. If I could get of here without being noticed, I may be safe. The further from General Hux and Kylo Ren I was, the better.  
The sound of holobooks lighting up gave me a vague idea of where he was in relation to myself, so I moved slowly in the opposite direction and towards the exit.   
I was nearly there when a voice called out, loudly and sternly, “You there--medic.”  
My feet froze in place, my back to him. I had been caught. My plans for escape had failed. I was slow to turn around, but when I did, I was able to stare in terror at the form of General Armitage Hux of the ruthless First Order.  
He stood much taller than myself, clad in all black, his great cloak surrounding him and falling to the ground. His eyes were a wicked blue, which clashed with his pale skin and slicked red hair. A firm jawline and menacing expression made him look even more intimidating.   
With a few steps, he cleared the space between us, but he still kept a small distance. He was sizing me up with his eyes and said, “Are you the new medic then? The one Kylo Ren found on Jakku?”  
I knew I couldn’t just stand there, so I replied quickly, “Yes, I am. Dacia Brok.” I help out my hand for him to shake, but he simply looked at it. I realized fairly quickly he probably didn’t shake hand with subordinates.  
Clearing his throat, he began, “It is lucky Ren found you just as the last medic met his untimely end.”  
“I wouldn’t call it lucky,” I murmured, crossing my arms, pressing the holobook I was still clutching close to me.  
There was a clamoring in the hall outside the library. A group of troopers led by the same tall silver trooper from earlier on Jakku appeared at the library’s entrance.  
“General,” the trooper spoke. The voice was definitely female, but it was deepened by the helmet.  
Hux’s attention withdrew from myself and we both turned to the group that had appeared. “Captain Phasma, what is it?”  
She moved closer to use before spoke. “Sir, a member of the Resistance has defected and has been picked up at one of our bases in the Outer Rim.”  
I was engrossed in the conversation, which I probably shouldn’t have been hearing. A member of the Resistance defecting? It was unsettling to ponder upon.   
“What information have we extracted?” Hux pressed. His eyes lowered to see me staring at him. I squeaked and turned my head down immediately, taking a step back from him.   
Phasma noticed and shifted on her feet. “We can discuss this in private, sir.”  
Hux nodded and the pair left the library. He looked over his shoulder and locked eyes with me before turning out of my line of sight.   
With a sigh, I leaned against a shelf. My heart beat so fast I was certain it would burst. I vacated the library, still clutching the holobook to my chest.   
I flipped my watch on my wrist: 1421. I had to be at the medical bay at 1700, so I decided to just get going there before anything else happened.  
Whoosh  
Amelia was busy on the computer in the corner when I entered. She smiled slightly when she saw me. I placed the holobook down in one of the empty chairs and walked over to Amelia, sitting near her.  
We made polite small talk for a few minutes while she continued working on the computer, but after a moment of silence, I took the opportunity to ask a question that had been brooding at the back of my mind.   
“Amelia, did you know the last medic? The one I replaced?”  
Her face contorted in a painful way and I instantly regretted asking.   
“I’m sorry,” I started.  
“No, don’t be,” she sighed, coming to her feet. “He was my husband. We were contracted into the First Order when they took control of our planet.”  
They were just innocent people who wanted no part in this war.   
“His name was Theodore Nestre,” Amelia said quietly, before pulling her coat on. “I’m going to leave now. If you need anything, page Zan or myself. Have a good night.”  
I gave no objection as she left quickly.  
Whoosh  
And I was alone again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAHHH I finally got inspired to get this story rolling again! The next chapter will be up shortly. Thank you for your patience and support. This story is on wattpad now too! Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and thank you for reading! This is the first fanfiction I have posted online in about ten years, so I'm excited to go public again with this new story. I work full-time and I'm raising my four-year-old, so bear with me while I try to update as much as possible. 
> 
>  
> 
> \--Ellie


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